District Attorney Micheal Murray reports that on Thursday, July 14, 2016, a Brown County Jury convicted Leslie Ray Hastings, Jr., 36, of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. Hastings was sentenced to incarceration for life in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division by the jury.
Assistant District Attorney Elisha Bird resented evidence during the trial that on July 31, 2015, Hastings sexually assaulted a twelve-year-old girl. The victim made an outcry to a family member in August of last year and then a report was made to the Brownwood Police Department.
Detective Harold Thomas began investigating the case, locating several pieces of evidence that corroborated the victim’s outcry. Ultimately, evidence in the trial showed that the victim consistently explained what happened to her, physical evidence in the case was consistent with the victim’s outcry, and Hastings’ claim that the twelve-year-old initiated the contact was untrue.
At Hastings’ trial, defense attorney Larry Meadows relied on Hastings’ claim that he had not wanted to have any sexual contact with the victim, and that lack of DNA or other forensic evidence, to attempt to show that no sexual assault occurred. The jury was able to hear Hastings’ statements to law enforcement regarding the day in question when evaluating the credibility of Hastings’ story.
The jury took about an hour to find Hastings guilty of the aggravated sexual assault. The jury then heard punishment evidence about Hastings’ history of domestic violence and rape, as well as evidence of his previous convictions for Assault, Credit Card Abuse, Failure to Appear, Resisting Arrest, Evading Arrest, Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, and Burglary of a Habitation. The jury assessed a sentence of life in prison.
